Monday, April 28, 2008

First let me say that Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors, and I haven't had much to disagree with her about. In fact, one of the things I love about her writing is that she dares to tackle issues that other authors are afraid to. Her new novel Change of Heart, however is one that I have a lot of issues with. The main premise of the story is about a handyman who comes to work for a family to help finish up a nursery for a baby that is on the way. He is a reformed convict and the wife who hires him doesn't think there will be an issue because her husband is a police officer. However, one day the man shoots both the husband and the daughter; leaving this woman a widow with a baby on the way. The man goes to jail and is sentence to die by lethal injection. The baby is discovered to have a heart defect and needs a heart transplant to survive. The convicted man believes that to save his soul he must give his heart to this child.

The story idea, and plot is great. The problem with the book. Ms. Picoult uses Gnostic ideals, and the book of Thomas to support her theory, and if that isn't enough she goes as far as to suggest that the convict is Jesus the Messiah.

From my Bible study and training there is only one Messiah and that is Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior. As far as Gnostic beliefs and following, that has died out, and it was pointless in the first place. Now to the book of Thomas . . . if there was such a book, I believe God would have put it in the Bible. Claiming 2 Timothy 3:16-17 All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. NASB

What bothers me so with this piece of fiction is just that, it's fiction, but those who are not spiritually intuned will read it and could get very mislead.